Research Fellowship (Master)

LIP - Laboratório de Instrumentação e Física Experimental de Partículas; Portugal; On-site; EUR 14,000 - 17,000; Full time

Job summary

LIP - Laboratório de Instrumentação e Física Experimental de Partículas in Portugal invites applications for one Master BI Research Student Fellowship in Computer Science, Data Science, and AI applied to political bias in search algorithms. The project INVIS_AI investigates how search engines and LLMs shape political visibility and trust, with a strong emphasis on data collection and analysis.

The candidate should be enrolled in a PhD program in Computer Science, have at least 3 years of

Qualifications

• Educational background in Engineering or similar.
• Currently enrolled in a PhD Program in Computer Science.
• Experience in multidisciplinary teams.
• At least 3 years working on CS research projects with data collection from large algorithms and data analysis in political contexts.

Responsibilities

• Design and develop tools to collect data from search engines and large language models at scale.
• Collect and analyze data related to political contexts.
• Collaborate with colleagues and researchers across the project.
• Contribute to dissemination activities, including preparing scientific articles and conference presentations.

Skills

Excellent English

Excellent Portuguese

Education

Engineering or equivalent

PhD program in Computer Science

Job description

Organisation/Company LIP - Laboratório de Instrumentação e Física Experimental de Partículas Department LISBON Research Field Computer science Researcher Profile First Stage Researcher (R1) Positions Master Positions Application Deadline 26 Nov 2026 - 17:00 (Europe/Lisbon) Country Portugal Type of Contract Other Type of Contract Extra Information Research Fellowship Job Status Full-time Hours Per Week 35 Offer Starting Date 1 Dec 2026 Is the job funded through the EU Research Framework Programme? Not funded by a EU programme Is the Job related to staff position within a Research Infrastructure? No

Offer Description

The Laboratory of instrumentation and Experimental Particle Physics (LIP) is opening a selection tender for one Research Student Fellowship (BI – Master) for research activities in the scientific subject of Computer Science, Data Science, and Artificial Intelligence applied to the study of political bias in search algorithms in the framework of the project “INVIS_AI - INVISIBLE CHOICES: How Search Engines and LLMs shape political visibility and trust", funded by the ”la Caixa” Foundation (SR26-00017)

The recruited candidate will integrate a project focused on research political bias in search engines and large language models (LLMs), joining a multidisciplinary and diverse research team in a collegial and collaborative environment. The project addresses the growing influence of algorithmic systems on access to political information and democratic processes, combining large-scale audits, a system to evaluate potential bias, and controlled online experiments.

The candidate should have an educational background in Engineering or similar, be currently enrolled in a PhD Program in Computer Science and have experience working in multidisciplinary teams.

The candidate should have previous experience (at least 3 years) working on research projects in the fields of computer science with a strong focus in the collection of data from large algorithms, complex systems and a strong component of data analysis in political contexts. Previous experience in data collection and analysis, previous experience in multidisciplinary and international projects is strongly preferred.

Workplan:

The chosen candidate will perform the following tasks:

• Analysis and development of tools capable of collect data from search engines and large language models in large scale;
• Collection and analysis of data associated with political contexts;
• Participation and development of activities related to the project in coordination with other colleagues and researchers;
• Participation in activities related to the goals of the project, namely those related to the selection and analysis of relevant bibliography, dissemination activities, including the preparation of scientific articles and presentations in conferences, seminars, workshops, etc., as well as organizing those same events in the context of the project.

Legislation: A fellowship contract will be established according to the “Regulations for Research Grants of LIP and the Foundation for Science and Technology” and to the Status of Scientific Research Fellow (Law nº 40/2004, August 18th, and its successive amendments).

Duration: The fellowship has a duration of 6 months, with a foreseen starting date on 1 December 2026. The fellowship may eventually be renewed, until the maximum foreseen in the project and according to the terms of the FCT and LIP regulations.

The research project will be conducted at LIP under the scientific supervision of Joana Gonçalves de Sá.

The candidate must be fluent in English and Portuguese and be able to use both in a professional setting (equivalent to level C2).

Specific Requirements

The candidate should have previous experience (at least 3 years) working on research projects in the fields of computer science with a strong focus in the collection of data from large algorithms, complex systems and a strong component of data analysis in political contexts. Previous experience in data collection and analysis, previous experience in multidisciplinary and international projects is strongly preferred.

Languages ENGLISH Level Excellent

Languages PORTUGUESE Level Excellent

Research Field Computer science Years of Research Experience 1 - 4

Additional Information

The monthly amount of 1359.64€ is in accordance with the values stipulated in the “FCT Regulation for Research Studentships and Fellowships”:

This amount will be paid on a monthly basis through bank transfer to the grant holder's bank account. The fellowship might be supplemented according to LIP’s regulations.

Eligibility criteria

Any national, foreign, or stateless candidates who hold an academic or professional curriculum whose profile is suited for the activity to be performed can submit their applications.

All candidates who formalize their applications in an improper way or fail to prove the requirements imposed by this tender are excluded from admission. In case of doubt, the panel is entitled to request any candidate to present further documentation supporting his/her statements. False statements provided by the candidates shall be punished by law.

In the event the degree was awarded by a foreign higher education institution, the degree must comply with the provisions of Decree-Law no. 341/2007 of 12th October by the application deadline.

Selection process

The tender selection panel shall be formed by:

Evaluation criteria are the following:

Evaluation of the CV of the candidates, namely their educational background and past experience.

Each member of the panel will value the criteria for each candidate, taking into account the requirements of the duties to be performed, the adequacy of previous experience, his/her relationship to the relevant areas and sub-areas.

The selection will consider the applicant's Curriculum Vitae (60%) and their motivation letter (40%).

High-ranking candidates might be called for an interview, and the final decision will be based on the interview score alone.

After applying the selection criteria, the panel will prepare an ordered list of the approved candidates and their corresponding classification. In case none of the candidates can demonstrate suitable skills or background, the panel will not select any candidate.

Advertising / notification of results:

The results of the evaluation will be communicated by email; in case of disagreement, the candidates have a period of 10 working days to contest the decision, as provided for in the Code of Administrative Procedure in a preliminary hearing. At the end of this period, the arguments presented will be analysed by the jury committee, who will simultaneously communicate the final decision to all the candidates who submitted allegations. The final results of the shortlisted applicants will be communicated by e‑mail. In case of disagreement, the candidates have a period of 15 working days to contest the decision.

Additional comments

Non-discrimination and equal access policy: LIP actively promotes a nondiscrimination and equal access policy, wherefore no candidate can be privileged, benefited, impaired or deprived of any rights whatsoever, or be exempt of any duties based on their ancestry, age, sex, sexual preference, marital status, family and economic conditions, instruction, origin or social conditions, genetic heritage, reduced work capacity, disability, chronic illness, nationality, ethnic origin or race, origin territory, language, religion, political or ideological convictions and union membership.